Steelers Select Alabama OT J.C. Latham in PFF’s New Mock Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem poised to try and land a tackle in the NFL Draft this year, and it is becoming the likeliest option at 20th overall. However, which tackle that ends up being is anyone’s best guess at this point. Pro Football Focus gave the Steelers a new, intriguing option on Monday, though.

In their latest mock draft, he has the team selecting Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham. Listed at 365 pounds on Alabama’s website, he came in over 20 pounds lighter at the NFL Combine and looked nimbler than ever.

“The Steelers here spend their first-round pick on an offensive tackle for the second straight year and finally fortify a position at which they’ve struggled to build a foundation for the past few seasons. Latham has excellent tools for the position and would allow Pittsburgh to flip Broderick Jones over to left tackle while he mans the right side,” they wrote.

Latham started at right guard before moving to right tackle for Alabama in 2022. A two-year starter at that position, he would likely play right tackle in the NFL and move Broderick Jones back to left tackle, where he played in college. Jones played right tackle in 2023.

Despite his size, Latham is no lumberer, and he is seen as a well-rounded player that can be elite in both run and pass blocking. In 915 pass-rush snaps as a tackle at Alabama, he gave up just two sacks, per Pro Football Focus.

Latham is one of a cluster of tackle options for the Steelers in the first round. While Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt are expected to be gone well before Pittsburgh picks, there are four tackles that could be available in the back half of this year’s first round: Latham, Mims, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton.

Dan Moore Jr., the Steelers’ incumbent starter at left tackle, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Chuks Okorafor, who lost his right tackle job to Jones mid-season has been released, so it appears high time for the Steelers to make another long-term upgrade at tackle after trading up to draft Jones last year.